Electrical key-socket.



G. D. PLATT. ELECTRIOAL KEY SOCKET. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 16,1908.

Patented May 4, 1909.

attomwo l vl mcooeoz which passes through said CLARENCE D. PLATT,OFBRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT.

ELECTRICAL KEY-SOCKET.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 4, 1909.

Application filed September 16, 1908. Serial No. 463,348.

To all whom it may concern: I Be it known that I, CLARENCE D. PLATT, i

a citizen of the United States, residing at Bridgeport, county ofFairfield, State of Connecticut, have'invented a new and usefulElectrical Key-Socket, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object to sirnplify and cheapen and togenerally improve the construction and operation of electrical keysockets.

With these ends in view'I have devised the novel construction which I'will now describe, referring to the accompanying drawing forming a partof this specification and using reference characters to indicate theseveral parts:

Figure 1 is a vertical section of my novel socket showing the parts inposition to close the circuit; Fig. 2 a vertical section on the line 22in'Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows, the circuit beingopen; Fig. 3 an .inverted plan view of the screw shell detached Fig. 4 asection of the screw shell on the line -44 in Fig. 3, looking in thedirection of the arrows; Fig. 5 an enlarged detail sectional viewthrough the base of the screw shell, showing the attachment of theinsulating washers and springs thereto; and Fig. 6 is a detail sectionalview of the shaft and bracket, showing the closing block in elevation.

10 denotes an insulating body which is provided with a recess 11 toreceive the switch mechanism, with a slot 12 for the key shaft and withrecesses 13 which receive the terminals.

14 denotes the screw shell whose base is provided with an externaldepression 15 to receive an insulating washer 16 and with an internaldepression 17 to receive an insulating washer 18, the base of the screwshell lying between said washers.

19' denotes a contact spring for engagement 46 by a lamp base, indicatedby 20, and 21 .a

contact s ring. for engagement by a closing block indicated by 22.Contact spring 19 lies contiguous to insulating washer 18 and contactsprin 21 .lies contiguous to insulating 60 washer 16. The insulatingwashers and the contact springs are shown as secured to the base of thescrew shell by ineans ofan eyelet arts and is headed downupon the bases0 the contact 65 :pripjgs, as clearl shown in Fig. 5. It

0 d benoted t the base of the. screw i the angular shaft wil shell isprovided'with a central hole 2% of greater diameter than the 'oyelct soas to leave the screw shell perfectly insulated from the contactsprings.

The closing block 22 of the switch is provided with an angular centralopening indicated by. 25 through which the angular shaft 26 passesloosely so as to ermit slight play to the shaft and cause t e switch toopen and close with a snap. 27 denotes a U-shaped bracket having formedintegral therewith a terminal 28, the combined bracket and terminalbeing secured to the body by a screw 29. The arms of the bracket areprovided near their outer ends with corresponding openings 30 throughwhich the angular shaft passes freely, the essential feature of theseopenings being that they are approximately circular except for a flatpor-' tion of each as at 31, said flat portions being adapted forengagement by either of the sides, four in the present instance, of theangular shaft. 32 denotes a coil spring surrounding the arms of thebracket and bearing against the base thereof and carrying at its outerend a clip 33 which is forced by the spring against the closing block.Terminal 28, which is formed integral with the U- shaped bracket, liesin one of the recesses 13 in the body. The other terminal, indicated by34, lies in the other recess 13 in the body and is secured to the bodyby a screw 35 which also serves as a means of attachment for the screwshell. The other screws by which the screw shell is secured to the bodypass through the bodylongitudinally and are,

shown in dotted lines only (see Fig. 1). Both of the terminals areprovided with binding screws 36 to which circuit wires 37 are connected.

The operation. will be readily understood from the drawin Spring-32 andthe clip bearing against t e closing block act to hold one of the an larsides of the shaft in engagement with t e an ular sides of openings 30in the arms of the bracket, thus retaining the closing block in anyposition in which it may be placed. with rthe circuit either closed oropen, as shown in Figs. /1 and 2. In order to insure that -when theclosing block is moved to the closing osition, as in Fig. 1,

1 not be forced away from the fiat portions of the openings in thebracket arms, I rovide contact sprin 21 for engagementbyt block! Whenthe lockis turned to the closing position it engages the I contactspring which is Weaker than sprir' i -32 and yields so that theengagement of the shaft with the angular sides of the openii 1n thebracket 1s not interfered with. on a lamp base is turned into contactspring 19.

rent is from terminal 28 tlllfill g 11 the bracket,

closing block, contact springs 23. and 13 and eyelet 23 to thecentercontact of the lamp and 1 returning through the lamp base, screwshell and screw 35 to terminal 3-1.

Having thus described my invention. I claim:

1. In a key socket the combination with a closing block and an angularshaft by K hich it is carried, of a bracket having; openi through whichthe shaft passes loosely 1d which openings have flat portions, and meansfor retaining an angular side of the shaft in engagement with thellatportions of the opening's When the closing block is in the open orloosely and a spring bearing against the closing block, substantially asdescribed, for the closing position.

2. .ln a key socket, the combination with a closing block and an angularshatt by which it is carried, of a bracket having openings through whichthe shaft passes loosely and which openings have .tlat portions, a clipibearlnc a ainst the ClOSH'E block and a s M112 5 2* D F" by which thechp is carried, substantially as 1 described, for the purpose specified.

3. The combination with a screw shell havthe screw shel the centercontact of the lamp base engages j The passage of the cur- I ofinsulating: material, a closing block and an angular shaft by which itis carried, a bracket ing: internal and external depressions and acentral ho e and. insulating Washers in the depressions, of contactsprings contiguous to the Washers and an eyelet passing through thesprings, Washers and screwshell, whereby the parts are secured together,

4:. In combination in a key socket, a base 0. The combination with aclosing block having an angular opening and an angular said opening,loosely, of a with hat portions the shaft passes shaft engagi 6 ln'ackethaving; openings through which openings purpose specified. y

In testimony whereol l athX my signature,

and a screw shell having

